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DESCRIPTION Larvae are slender yellow hard-bodied worms up to 3 cm long. Adults are brown or black flattened click beetles up to 3 cm long. DAMAGE Wireworms feed on a wide range of vegetables and flowering plants. Seedlings wilt and die, root crops are tunneled. LIFE CYCLE Overwintering adults lay eggs in plant roots in spring. Larvae hatch in 3 to 10 days, feeding near soil surface during spring and fall, moving deeper in summer and winter. Larvae feed for 2 to 6 years before pupating in late summer. Usually all stages are present in an infested area. CONTROLS Grassy areas dug up and planted for the first time often have wireworm problems. Cultivate thoroughly once a week for 4 to 6 weeks in fall to destroy larvae and allow birds to feed. Test for wireworms in March or April using pieces of potato or whole wheat flour buried 10 cm in the soil (one for every 10m2 of garden). Mark each site with a stake and check 3 to 5 days later.
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Later's Rotenone
Later's Rotenone Garden Dust is ready-to-use. Apply directly on foliage of Vegetables, Flowers, Fruit and Ornamentals, when insects appear. Thoroughly cover the leaves. Repeat if necessary.
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